Your Rights Are Not a Privilege

The campaign, “Your Rights Are Not a Privilege“, was made to coincide with the International Human rights Day, and took place in Hasaka, Qamishli, Ras al-Ain and Qahtaniyah. Its posters and leaflets were all written in Arabic, Kurdish and Syriac, the three languages of the Jazira — upper Mesopotamia region.

The Center holds this campaign annually on Human Rights Day, to emphasize its importance and to introduce Syrians to to the rights guaranteed to them by international conventions.. “Everyone is entitled to human rights, regardless of their race, nationality, national or social origin,” says one of the campaign’s activists to SyriaUntold.

Within this context, activists printed posters and pamphlets containing excerpts from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They made a video promo that includes footage of kidnapped human rights activists Razan Zaitouneh and late executive director of the Center Nori Dher. Activists also painted the walls of Ras al-Ain, Qamishi and Qahtaniyah with quotes on equality and articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Funded by the International Federation of Human Rights, The Birati Center organized workshops and seminars on the subject of human rights, as well as a tribute ceremony to celebrated figures in the field of human rights. Activists also held a questionnaire on the most important issues that should be highlighted from the point of view of the people.

Despite being military par excellence, Turkish presence has been widely welcomed by different segments of Syrian society in Idlib countryside and the Euphrates Shield areas, north of Aleppo. The reason for that being its contribution to improving the living condition of these areas, for the first time since the outbreak of the uprising in 2011.

Changing the ways we communicate with each other is of utmost importance if we consider the weak and fragmented character of Syrian secular opposition circles nowadays. Such a reflection inevitably involves the leading voices articulating these important issues (gender, class, among others) to take their responsibility in elaborating their positions and points of difference and to seek viable alliances and wider solidarity networks

In recent days in Syria, civil society organizations and activists have carried out a number of activities drawing attention to events in Aleppo and as-Suwayda’ as well, including protests in front of a government building in response to the killing of a civilian by the National Defense Forces (NDF) and a rebellion in the city’s central prison.